WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |"Brain exercise" program claims to help improve mental fitness

"Brain exercise" program claims to help improve mental fitness

By Dawndy Mercer Plank - bio | email

WEST COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Think faster. Focus better. Remember more. Sound enticing? There's a brain fitness program that claims to do for your brain what exercise does for your body.

It has just been implemented at the Still Hopes Retirement Community in West Columbia, and will soon be available to the public.

Residents are encouraged to keep their bodies fit through strength training, balance exercises and swimming.

"I feel great," said participant Jane Berry.
 
Near the pool, weight machines and exercise mats, is a room with computers for another form of fitness. It's called Posit Science, a brain fitness program designed to enhance auditory and visual processing and memory.

"As we get older, we're less selective in what we're seeing," said Director of Wellness Denise Heimlich. "We start to see everything, too much information and we're less able to pull out the important information. And that also has an implication for memory. Too much information comes in we're not likely able to remember much of anything."
     
The computer program for participants like Jane berry incorporates game-like elements to improve the brain's reception and retention of what is heard and seen.

"It was only about twelve or fifteen years ago we were still hearing that you never grew new brain cells, that everyone you lost was not replaced.  That's not true.  We know that," said Heimlich. "So, science is understanding more about the brain all the time."
     
The researchers who designed the posit program claim participants will communicate more effectively, pick up details in conversations, remember what's said, drive better, react more quickly and capture more visual details.    
     
but it does take a commitment. The program is 50 hours of brain exercise.

"I've heard residents here say we don't need this Brainposit program because we play bridge and we read and we work crossword puzzles, but long ago I realized those were just certain parts of the brain," said Berry.
     
Through the brain exercises, Jane has noticed an improvement in her peripheral vision. The training so empowers Jane, she feels she could take on people half her age.

"Some of them," she laughed.

The brain fitness training program is at Still Hopes and now is open to the public. Call 739-5034 to sign up. The fee is $55 for six weeks of classes which meet for three hours each week.

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